Singing and Flying!

    Yesterday was a fun day. In the morning we headed out to go see a new baby boy born to a couple from church and also to go sing at the nursing home. Jonathan decided he had better not go with us as he was sneezing a fair amount and seemed to be catching a cold and that would not be a good thing to share with either a new baby or the elderly so he went and mowed a neighbor's lawn instead which made them happy. When we went to see the baby they were in a class and we ended up having to leave for the nursing home before they returned. That was disappointing but we are looking forward to seeing them on Sunday.

    When we were at the nursing home I was once again so thankful that we are able to go there each month. God is so good to give us opportunities to serve in ways that bless us just as much as it blesses others. When we arrived one older lady wanted to visit a little and when I asked how she was doing she said she was just so lonely. That just breaks my heart. Being lonely is not any fun. My hope and prayer is that we can provide a little light in their day and most of all introduce them too or remind them of the one that is always there.

  Others of the residents there greeted us and thanked us for coming. It was fun to watch them tap their hands or sing along with us. One lady ended up crying quite a bit - it seemed like the music touched her and I felt a little bad that it made her cry but at the same time was glad that it touched her in some way. So many wanted to visit a little as we left - we felt so blessed and like we were truly where God wanted us to be. We love music but we do not put on any sort of polished concert. We simply sing songs that we know (we try to choose quite a few old ones) . Sometimes we manage a little bit of harmony with our singing but mostly it is just melody and it doesn't seem to matter what we do - the people enjoy it. If you have ever thought about going to the nursing home to share with the people there I sure would recommend it. I think many would be blessed - you included. They generally love seeing children so if you can bring kids along that is great.

 After lunch and naps and a little cleaning (to get ready for a house showing) at home we headed out to another exciting event of the day.....

Have you ever heard of Young Eagles? We had before but didn't know much about it nor had  we ever experienced the program. Yesterday that changed and the kids are very happy about that!

 We had heard that there were free airplane rides being offered to kids (age 8-17) at the airport and knowing how much the boys would enjoy that we made a point to go.

  All that we needed to do was fill out a form, sign a waiver and they were ready to head out with the pilot and owner of a small plane.

  Jonathan got to go first, riding with John. The picture above shows them looking over John's plane. He told Jonathan all about it and how it works before they ever got in. Jonathan who loves planes and other things that fly just ate it up. Jonathan has been working to make a remote control airplane at home so being able to see how things work up close and personal was wonderful for him.

 Then it was Aaron's turn to go. Would they really fit in that tiny plane? They did.

 Then Megan. The pilot that she was with was thoughtful and figured out something for her to sit up higher on so that she would be able to see good. He also asked about where we lived and other landmarks that she might enjoy seeing.

Those were the three pilots giving rides so Mara had to wait until they got back to take her turn. They each got around 1/2 hour of time with the pilot and plane with at least 20 minutes in the air. Jonathan and his pilot were able to see our house, our land, Ken's office, and several other landmarks. They had fun following the Mississippi river for a while. Jonathan came back grinning from ear to ear.

 The pilot that Aaron went with allowed him to use the controls some of the time which made Aaron super excited and happy. He has plans of  being pilot now (Jonathan already planned on that).

 Then Jonathan got back and Mara was able to go. She took my camera with her so we have more pictures of her flight.

 In the cockpit.

A view of town.

 Mara wasn't as excited about the flying going into it but she came back pretty excited too. All the kids have flown before when we have gone on trips but flying in the cockpit of a little plane over all the places that we know well was pretty cool and exciting. They can't wait to go again!

 The Young Eagles is a pretty neat thing as they will also help you to get started towards getting your pilots license.

 That was our fun day!